


Fleeting Breath

by Silverdrift



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Ashe POV, Buried Alive, M/M, Whumptober, running out of time, shallow grave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26827117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverdrift/pseuds/Silverdrift
Summary: Felix isn't home when Ashe wakes up. Not unheard of, so Ashe isn't too concerned...But then again...Maybe he should have been.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Fleeting Breath

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Whumptober day 4: Buried Alive. This was a collaboration with Umbr_El_On who wrote this from Felix's POV, go give it a read too!

When Ashe woke up that morning, things were normal. Well, at least mostly. Felix wasn’t home yet, which was a little odd sure, but not unheard of. Sometimes he got caught up at work or he stopped to get food, though usually he called Ashe if that was the case. Still, Ashe wasn't too worried. He just got out of bed and, after a stop by the bathroom, headed to the kitchen to start breakfast. 

It wasn't anything fancy, just something simply that could easily be kept for later if Felix really had eaten, after which Ashe took a seat at the table to scroll through his phone. As usual when he woke up, he had what seemed like an endless bounty of notifications to go through, something that made him laugh considering he could  _ hear  _ Felix in his head, poking fun at him and saying how  _ his _ phone is the quiet one in this relationship. Six Instagram notifications, a half dozen from facebook, too many to count from discord… 

And a missed call from around five thirty am. Just before he woke up at six. 

Ashe made a face at the number. It wasn't one he recognized, and it looked… odd almost, being mostly ones and zeroes, making it seem almost fake… but even stranger still, the caller left a voicemail. Dread suddenly washed over him as he clicked the voicemail, fingers starting to tremble, and put it on speaker while he reached for his coffee. 

_ We have taken Felix Fraldarius. The amount of 2 million dollars must be wired to the following account within 5 hours... or he will die.  _

Ashe felt the phone drop from his hand the moment the distorted voice said Felix would die, clattering onto the table as the voice droned on. Felix… kidnapped?? Two million dollars?? How was he going to get that much money in… 

Dimitri…

That was the only explanation. This was someone going after Dimitri though his closest friends… which meant Sylvain and Ingrid were in danger as well. He frantically snatched his phone up and dialed Dimitri, jumping up to turn off the stove and grab his keys while the line rang. 

"Ashe…?" Dimitri answered groggily, sounding as if he had just woken up. 

"I-Im sorry to call so early but this is urgent! I-I… you need to call Sylvain and Ingrid and tell them to get somewhere safe and maybe y-you-"

"Ashe… Ashe slow down, please." Dimitri urged, suddenly sounding much more awake. "What is going on? Why do-"

"Someone… someone took Felix… they are threatening to-- to kill him if I don't come up with the money… I can't… I have to try and find him… there isn't much time left." Ashe tried to explain calmly as he practically ran out the door, tears stinging his eyes and making it really hard to see to lock the door. There was silence at the other end of the line… and then Dimitri growled.

"The flame emperor…" the words came out in the most spiteful hiss, soft and barely audible though the hatred was clear as day. "I'm on my way Ashe. Meet me at his place of employment. We'll look together."

\--

Together they searched everywhere that Felix normally went, hoping this was some sort of sick joke… or at the very least that someone had seen something… but even after a couple hours… they still had nothing. Ashe was panicking, Dimitri was growing angry… 

"There has to be  _ something _ …" Dimitri growled.

"Should… sh-should we give them the money?? Or called the police? If we do that Rodrigue is going to know and-"

"There's no time for that… we are going to have to… hmm?" Dimitri stopped, a noise suddenly catching his attention. "Ashe… is that your phone?"

Ashe looked down at his pocket, hurriedly pulling out his phone once he realized that yes, that  _ was  _ his phone and only one person had that ringtone. "Felix! Oh thank god… where are you?? I-I can't find you anywhere and I got this--this call a-and-"

"Buried. Jumped after work. Low on air and battery." Felix spoke in short, ragged burst, as if trying not to speak more than he had to.

"Buried??" Ashe practically shrieked. "Like… in a coffin??"

"Yes."

Ashe felt his own chest tighten. “D-Dimitri! H-he said he’s buried somewhere and needs air. He got jumped after work and his battery is almost dead. Fuck, i-it must be so dark and small and he must be scared. He doesn’t have much time! We gotta… we… oh my god...” The sheer thought of Felix, trapped in such a small, dark space sent a shock of panic and fear through his body that completely crippled him. He started to shake, eyes squeezed closed and breaths quickening as tears fell down his face. It was like he himself was the one buried, running out of time and breath, dropping his phone as his hand fished themself into his hair. 

Dimitri snatched the phone up off the ground the instant Ashe dropped it. He too was terrified, knowing Felix was in a losing fight against time… but he forced it all down. Forced himself to remain calm. Quickly he started working, putting the phone on speaker as he clicked away. "Felix. I'm looking up your location while I help Ashe. Try to stay calm, alright?"

"Trying." Felix muttered weakly. 

"Ashe… Listen to me." Dimitri started, keeping his eyes on his task. "You must pull yourself together. I know you are scared. So am I… but you need to breathe. Calm yourself… he needs you to remain strong. Do you understand?"

Ashe simply whined in response. 

"Ashe, I need a verbal response. Do you understand?"

"I-" He started softly, trying, struggling to find his grip on reality. Felix needed him to be strong… This was terrifying, but Felix  _ needed  _ him to be strong. He took several long breaths and then nodded, hands falling back to his side as he turned to face Dimitri. "Y-Yes. I understand."

"Good. Felix." Dimitri started, studying the coordinates for a moment. "I have your location. We are on our way, just hold on a little longer." He passed the phone back to Ashe, pulling his out as he ran and typing in the coordinates into it. 

Ashe took off after him without hesitation. "F-Felix? You don't have to respond, but. I'm sorry. So sorry. I should have called you sooner! When I got up and you weren't there I should have called! It would have saved you a lot of time but I panicked when I heard the voicemail! I-I… b-but we are going to save you! I swear! We are going to find you and bring you home! We… We have to… I-I need you…" 

There was a soft noise on the other end of the line, almost like Felix was trying to get what little air he could… but instead of saving what precious few minutes he had, he spoke. It was raspy, strained, soft… but the words were unmistakable.

"I love you, Ashe."

Ashe gasped when he heard a sound like the phone clattering against wood. "No no no no, Felix!"

"Here, Ashe!" Dimitri called, dropping to all fours over a patch of recently disturbed dirt and digging furiously. Ashe practically threw the phone down and started to help, mind hyper focused on getting Felix out… but digging this by hand seemed to take eons, minutes ticking by, taunting them, inching closer and closer to the enviably cruel end. The agony, the panic… it threatened to consume him, his mind struggling to keep him going… it all seemed so damn hopeless…

Until he saw wood. 

With renewed vigor, he clawed his way through the dirt of that would-be grave, not stopping until Dimitri was able to open the top and bring Felix out of that hole. He scrambled to Felix's side, pressing an ear to his chest… and letting of a shaky sigh of relief when he heard shallow breaths and a heartbeat. "Oh… oh thank god, I…" Ashe lifted his head, quickly wiping away tears, only just now hearing Dimitri on the phone with emergency services. His eyes looked over the unconscious man before him...a bit blue in the lips, sweaty and overheated… and that was without considering the effects of the long, slow suffocation… Felix was not out of the woods yet and even if he did make it… it was going to be a long road to recovery… but at least there was a chance now…

And a chance was better than nothing...

**Author's Note:**

> Does he live? Does he die? I guess thats up to your imagination.
> 
> Come hang out on Twitter @silverdriftxiii


End file.
